A Noise in the Dark
by SparklyTree3876
Summary: Set during X2. Marie stared out the car window at the moon. She kept thinking about the other students and what might happen to her, Bobby, John, and Logan. Both situations scared her. This is a glimpse into her thoughts during the trip to Boston.


A Noise in the Dark  
By SparklyTree3876

Rating: PG

Genre: General

Pairing: Bobby/Marie, Logan/Marie (implied), Peter/Kitty (implied), and John/Jubilee (implied)

Author's Notes: Hi, everyone. Here's an X-Men movieverse one shot focusing on Marie's thoughts during the car ride to Boston. I was surprised to find few fics centering on this moment in X2. I thought there would be more because it was an opportunity to explore the thoughts of the characters after the mansion was attacked. In turn, I decided to focus on Marie's thoughts in this one shot. I hope you enjoy reading it. Any constructive criticism is appreciated.

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I stare out the car window at the moon while Logan drives the car down the street as it winds through a dense forest. Its light filters through the trees, seemingly touching the ground in every spot it could find. I see a deer nibbling on a leaf a few feet away from the street on my right, and its eyes glow in the moonlight. It doesn't even notice us as we pass it. I wonder if the deer in the forest located near the mansion heard the helicopters filled with soldiers who invaded it. I'm sure they were frightened by them. Then again, I can't say for sure since I didn't see them. Moreover, I can't help but feel uncertain if we had really escaped from the soldiers. For all I know, they could be following us right now.

I look over my shoulder, and I see Bobby and John are asleep in the backseat. Either they've fallen asleep because of boredom, or they're tired after fleeing from the soldiers. I guess it doesn't matter because at least they are resting, and that's something everyone needs. Unfortunately, I can't bring myself to doze off because I keep thinking about the other students and what might happen to Bobby, John, Logan, and me. Both situations scare me, and so many questions are running through my mind. Did the other students escape? Did they manage to find a safe place to go to until they could be picked up? Were any of them captured? Uncertainty can be a terrible thing when it comes to tense situations. You can't move. You can't breathe. You can't even think about anything, except what could happen to you. I shouldn't be feeling this fear at such a young age. Neither should Bobby and John.

I don't understand why the mansion was attacked. None of us did anything to make those soldiers come after us. A gut feeling tells me they wanted something, and it has something to do with mutants, of which I know is never good. Hostility toward our kind is everywhere we go. Many people who fear and hate us seem to be jealous of the unique abilities we have, or they think we'll replace them and force them into submission. These days, people will single out anyone who is the slightest bit different and ridicule for that reason alone. They believe only the ones who are normal will amount to anything. To be honest, I can't tell what is normal anymore.

Tonight will probably go down as the scariest night of my life. It was a clear night, and there was no wind outside. It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop and hit the floor. It was like nothing could break the silence, and it would last throughout the night. Unfortunately, I was proven wrong when I heard Siryn's sonic scream. It was so loud that I thought my ears would pop. So many questions started racing through my mind. Why was this happening? What have we done? I was scared I'd be captured by the soldiers. I felt like I was running in slow motion as I rushed out of my room. I couldn't move fast enough to get to safety. Scary situations can make short trips seem like long ones, and they can make time move so slowly that it seems it is about to stop. If time had ever stopped, nothing would be able to move, not even a simple raindrop falling from the sky.

I remember feeling my heart pound while running down the hall during my search for Logan. I kept wondering if he was okay. The hall seemed it went on forever. It was like I was never going to reach the end. I was relieved to run into Bobby and John, but it turned right back into fear when we encountered two soldiers with flashlights while trying to get to an emergency exit. I felt as if I was frozen in place when they raised their guns to shoot. I believe the fear caused me to become unable to move. Then again, it could've been something else. I didn't see the soldiers' eyes, but if I did, I believe they would've been as black as the devil's eyes. In my eyes, they would've represented the hatred and prejudice against our kind. The soldiers also didn't care what happened to us.

I was relieved when Logan jumped off the second floor balcony and disposed of the soldiers. He's always had a habit of making surprise appearances, and it was that appearance that saved Bobby, John, and me. We became even more determined to escape, and it was even more relieving when we reached the emergency exit. I didn't want to leave Logan, but I didn't have a choice because it was too dangerous to be inside the mansion. Going into the corridor felt creepy because it didn't have much light. Then again, it was better than being in the mansion, where soldiers were waiting to capture anyone who strayed while trying to escape.

I recall how reluctant Bobby was to go back when I told him and John we needed to help Logan. I'm sure he thought Logan could protect himself, but I knew he couldn't handle all those soldiers, even with his healing ability. We can only do so much with our powers. My eyes were practically filling with tears as I begged him to help Logan. I started to feel better when he headed back toward the door. My heart almost stopped when we saw Logan confronting a mysterious man. I got a glimpse of the man's eyes before Bobby formed an ice wall between them, and they looked as cold as ice. I would've become frozen with fear if they had stared at me, even for only a brief second. They also had a sense of evil in them too. It was like this man was capable of just about anything, and I didn't even want to think about what he could do.

I felt relief wash over me when Logan made his way toward Bobby and me, though he was determined to stay behind to fight the soldiers. The run with him, Bobby, and John down the corridor felt very long, though it was just a short distance to the garage. Like before, I felt like I was running in slow motion. This time, it was even slower than it was in the hall. I even thought I was going to freeze in time, and I was really scared the soldiers were following us at that moment. Time seemed to speed up a little bit when we reached the garage and got into a car.

I can never forget how tense and scared Logan looked because of the man, who was called Stryker, back at the mansion during the drive down the road. You'd think nothing scares the Wolverine because he's tough and doesn't let anyone mess with him, but that isn't true. He was clearly scared for me when he discovered Magneto was after me, not him. He couldn't believe Magneto had been after me and didn't even know what he wanted me for. I think that scared him more than anything else did at that moment on the train. On top of that, something tells me he knows Stryker from somewhere, but he doesn't remember anything about him, though he seemed familiar to him.

I remember seeing the determination to protect me from harm in Logan's eyes after I handed his dogtags to him. He'd made a promise to take care of me, and he did not intend to break it. It's good to make promises, but you have to keep them. Making promises you can't keep doesn't only hurt you, but it hurts other people around you. I felt a little better when Logan mentioned Jean and Storm were in Boston and that we would head that way. Bobby mentioned that his parents lived there, and Logan told him we would stop at his house for a rest. It was a relief to hear that because it would give us a chance to get some fresh clothes and figure out where to go afterward during our search for Jean and Storm.

It's been over an hour since we fled from the soldiers, and it seems the road has no end in sight. It keeps curving in different places, sometimes one after the other. In my mind, this forest is like a maze that turns one way, but that part changes into something else, confusing people. I look at Logan, and he glances at me. The look in his eyes is just like when he said he'd take care of me that night on the train. It was full of caring and warmth, yet he was trying not to show too much of it. Just because a man shows emotions doesn't mean he is weak. Logan knows that as much as I do. He turns back to the road ahead of him, taking a deep breath.

My life changed forever when I became a mutant at the tender age of seventeen. I put the first boy I had ever kissed in a coma. I was afraid of hurting my parents and other people, so I ran away and hitchhiked all the way to the northern parts of Alberta, Canada, where I met Logan. I formed a bond with him because he knew what it was like to be alone, and he helped me to see there would always be someone who would understand what I was going through. Bobby got jealous when I introduced him to Logan when he returned home six months after he began his search for his past. I could see it in his eyes when they shook hands. Logan was tense toward him, but I didn't say anything at that moment. I do admit my bond with Logan is growing stronger with each passing moment, despite that I am dating Bobby. Sometimes, all I can think about is him, and I even dream of us being together. My heart feels torn two ways, and I don't know what I want. Both of them mean so much to me, and all I want for them is to be safe.

I keep wondering about what happened to Peter, Kitty, and Jubilee. I hope to God they found a safe place to stay, as the thought of harm coming to any of them scares me to no end. Peter is a very nice young man. He always smiles at me when I wave and say hello. Sometimes, he offers to walk me to my next class. The most interesting thing about him is that he is a gentle giant, in spite of his height and strength. He'd never hurt anyone or anything unless he felt threatened. He's a talented painter. I've seen his works, and they are some of the best I have ever seen. Painting is a great way to express your feelings and thoughts about anything. You can really get both down on paper with any color of paint, and each one represents a different emotion you might be feeling.

I get along with John pretty well, but he can be such a showoff and a punk sometimes. It's always funny to see the horses try to eat the sleeves of his shirt and his pants. He and Bobby love to play pranks on people, and I have to admit it's funny to see them backfire on them. As for Jubilee and Kitty, they're the best friends I could've have ever asked for. They are always willing to lend me a helping hand when I need it. They cheer me up when I feel sick, and they never hesitate to give me an answer to a certain subject when no one else can. Jubilee seems to have a soft spot for John, in spite of him being a showoff and a punk at times. She laughs when the horses mess around with him. As for Kitty, she's very smart and never gives up trying to accomplish any task that is thrown in front of her. She doesn't let people knock her down and has a zest for life. She can be quite shy, especially around boys. There's been talk that she has a crush on Peter. If she does, I don't think she'd ever admit it. I don't know what I would do without her and Jubilee.

I lean my arm against the door and lay my head against it. I shoot one last glance toward Logan before looking toward the moon. Though I can't say what will happen to us, Bobby, or John, I have hope we will make it out of this alive. God will protect us and guide us with His strength, love, and wisdom. In the darkest hour, a bright light will shine through and pierce it. It will never go away because it will always be there to help us.

THE END


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